A Glimmer of Light
by WritingElephant
Summary: A surprising moment in the hall after the disastrous Yule Ball. Dramione. Rated T for language. May continue with enough requests.


**Hey lovely reader! I got this idea from an interview with J.K Rowling where she said that the reason Draco always mocked Hermione was not her blood, but because he had romantic feelings for her and wanted to push her away. She also said that his feelings would stay with him forever; much like Snape's for Lily. So from that I made this! Enjoy. **

**Don't own anything btw.**

**A Glimmer of Light:**

By the time she was about halfway back to the common room she had pulled herself together.

The Yule ball had started out great. For the first time since she didn't know when she hadn't felt like "the brightest witch her age," she had simply felt like an ordinary teenage girl whose only responsibility was to have a good time that night.

Then of course Ron had to go along and ruin it. She couldn't believe the way he had treated her and in that moment she let the whole idea believe she was cursed. Maybe she wasn't destined to have fun or feel happy and pretty. Maybe she was always just going to be the scruffy girl who always raised her hand.

She had a bit of a cry and then started to make her way back to the common room. She could think of nothing more comforting than curling up in bed and letting sleep take away her problems. She was rounding the corner near that would lead her to another staircase, but bumped into something hard. She looked up and came face to face with Draco Malfoy.

Under normal circumstances Hermione would have just walked away, but she was so shocked that she just froze. He grinned at her.

"Granger. Fancy seeing you here." He said.

"M-Malfoy! What are you doing here?" she gasped.

"Oh y'know, lurking in the shadows," He said, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

The shock at running into him so suddenly had subsided enough for her to be irritated by his antics. She rolled her eyes at him.

"How very mysterious of you." She said sarcasm thick in her voice.

Ignoring Hermione's tone Draco went on to say: "I might ask you that very same question. Aren't you supposed to be on that fancy date with Crum? What's wrong? Did he turn out to be a bit of a wanker?"

"For your information he happened to be very nice" she snapped.

"Then why are you out here with me and not out there in the great hall with him?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"That's none of your business" she shot. She sent him her iciest glare and pushed past him. His hand encircled her wrist.

"Granger, wait." He demanded.

"What?" she said.

For a moment he just stared at her, right in the eyes. There was a tormented look there that made Hermione anxious. She thought he might not answer her, but then finally he spoke.

"Granger, whatever happened tonight...you need to go back to that ball." he said.

His words were as soft as his eyes. Hermione was painfully aware of the fact he was still holding on to her arm, but he didn't seem to notice. Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but found she couldn't. Draco inhaled deeply.

"I know I've been cruel to you and in the future... I'll be even crueler to you. I just want you to know I'm sorry for that. Truly." He said, his voice wavering. "But tonight you should go out and have great time and forget about bastards like me."

Hermione blinked at him. She finally found herself able to speak.

"Why?" she rasped.

"Because..." he trailed off. "Because you deserve it... and because you're beautiful."

Hermione honestly had no idea how to respond. Where had all of this come from? Was it all a joke? No it couldn't be. When she looked in his eyes all she could see was sincerity and hurt.

"Thank you..." she said, carefully.

He gave her a nod so small she would have missed it if she had been paying less attention. After one last glance he let go of her and walked away.

Hermione watched as he walked, her head reeling. What had just happened had been a big revelation to her about Draco Malfoy. She had always known that he was broken under his charade, but she had never known him to be kind.

She felt a smile curl its way across her face.

**I hope you liked that! I might make it a multi-chapter if I get enough reviews. I'm not sure, but I'll have to finish my AHS fic first. But review and tell me if you want more and you just might get it!**


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